Roommates
by Sariasprincy
Summary: Lately something has been keeping Itachi's roommate out until late at night, and he wants to know why. Rated for rape mention. Slight ItaSaku


Hey everyone. This is just a quick drabble. ONESHOT just so you know.  
Thanks for reading! Enjoy!

******Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto and other characters!**

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**Roommates**

It was nearly two in the morning by the time Itachi heard the front door to his and Sakura's shared apartment open and close quietly. Automatically his eyes wondered from the book in his hand to his door which he had left cracked open as he listened to his pink-haired roommate move about the apartment. Unsurprisingly she quietly padded to her room a few doors down from his and close the door behind her a moment later before the apartment was consumed in silence again. Now that he was sure Sakura was safe, Itachi closed his book and turned off the bedside light before he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him.

He wasn't sure why, but a little over six months ago, he had agreed to let Sakura share an apartment with himself sense they were going to the same college. They got along well, having known each other for quite some years, and their relationship was strictly platonic, but lately Itachi had been noticing a change in Sakura.

When they first began living together, Itachi had learned Sakura was an earlier riser, much like himself, which at the beginning of their time together had been a problem with the bathroom, and she always went to bed before eleven o'clock. She was cheery and friendly even when she herself was in a bad mood, but as of late, Sakura had been waking up late almost every morning, she got home later – much like tonight – and when they ran into each other, she hardly even had the strength to fake a smile. Something serious was going on with her and as much as Itachi wanted to help, he couldn't. He respected her privacy. Besides he hoped she knew he was there if she needed him.

It felt like not even two minutes had passed before Itachi heard Sakura's bedroom door open again. He held his breath as he heard her footsteps stop outside her bedroom door for a long moment before she turned and headed towards the front of the apartment in the direction of the kitchen.

Itachi laid in bed for a few minutes, staring at the darkened ceiling, waiting for Sakura to return to her room but when he didn't hear her footsteps return, he slowly got out of bed and walked out of his room and into the hallway towards the kitchen.

Unsurprisingly he found Sakura sitting at the table with a bowl of heated soup. Her head was resting on her hand tiredly and she was stirring her dinner quietly but he could tell from the distant look in her eyes she wasn't aware of what she was doing.

Though when he leaned against the doorway, Sakura blinked herself back to reality and focused her eyes on him. "Itachi," she said quietly. She picked her head up out of her hand and sat up a little straighter. "Did I wake you? Sorry."

He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head slightly. "I was already awake."

"Oh," she murmured before she turned her gaze down to the orange-ish red of her vegetable soup.

For a long moment, Itachi just watched Sakura watch her soup as they both waited for the silence to pass. Eventually Itachi pushed himself off the door frame and made to go back to his room and leave her be, but he heard her chair scrape across the floor quickly.

"Wait."

He stopped at the sound of her voice and turned back to see she was seated like she was ready to stand at any given moment.

"Could you…do you think you could…" she trailed off.

Without a word, Itachi pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. She smiled at him in thanks but it faded quickly before she returned her gaze to her soup. He watched as she played with the noodles in it but she didn't take a sip.

"You should eat something," Itachi murmured.

Sakura turned her gaze to look at him before she looked back at her soup and shrugged. "I'm not really hungry."

Itachi leaned back in his chair. "Then why make it?"

The corners of her lips dipped down into a frown before she shrugged again. "Something to do, I guess."

Another long moment of silence passed between them and eventually Sakura pushed her soup away and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Itachi looked at her in confusion. "For what?"

"I know you've been staying up until I get home," she said as she looked at him through her eyelashes. "You really shouldn't. You're just depriving yourself of sleep."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Just as you have."

Sakura frowned slightly. "Yeah…"

Itachi's lips thinned slightly at her answer but he didn't push as she pulled her hands into her lap and twisted the ends of her sleeves. For a couple of minutes he simply watched her wear her bottom lip between her teeth before she sighed again and crossed her legs on the chair. "Can I tell you something?"

Itachi simply nodded. "Of course, Sakura."

Sakura breathed out of her nose harshly as she watched herself fidget with her fingers. "It's the reason I've been gone so late for the past couple of nights. You know Ino, right?" She waited for him to nod before she continued. "I've been staying with her until she falls asleep." She paused for a long moment as she twisted her sleeves again. "Last Friday, she was…she was raped."

Itachi's eyes noticeably widened at her words and he could only stare as Sakura turned her eyes down to her lap as she pulled on her low ponytail. They lapsed into silence again as Itachi watched her carefully and waited for her to make the next move. It didn't take long.

Suddenly Sakura stood and grabbed her full bowl of soup and dumped it down the drain before she turned back to him. "She's seeing a psychiatrist but I don't think it's helping. She told me what happened and I just…" she trailed off as a pained expression crossed her face. "I just couldn't imagine what it's like. I mean I know I'm still a virgin and I don't know what it feels like to have sex, but I know sex is supposed to be something special between two people, right?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow at that news. He hadn't known Sakura was a virgin. He had thought she'd had sex with one of her friends by now, if not Sasuke, but he didn't comment on the matter. He continued to sit silently as she continued.

"I mean, Ino wasn't a virgin or anything, but when a girl has sex with a guy, she's giving a part of herself to him," she said. Itachi could tell at this point she was just rambling, but at the same time he listened to her. He had never thought about sex in a girl's point of view before. "And for someone to just take it like that," she continued, "…I can't even imagine what it must be like both physically and emotionally," she continued as she played with her sleeves and her hair and anything else she could reach.

Itachi could sense her restlessness and quietly he stood and grabbed her hands to make her stop. When she turned her face up to look at him, he saw the absolute sorrow and fear and helplessness in her expression and his chest constricted. Gently he tugged on her hands and waited until her shoulders relaxed to pull her towards the table to sit her down.

Once she was seated, he sat in the same chair as before as Sakura looked at him with the same expression. "I don't want something like that to happen to me, Itachi."

He shook his head. "I am sure it will not, Sakura."

Sakura's tight expression softened slightly. "How?"

His lips lifted into a small smile. "You are almost always with your friends, Sakura. Many of them are male and I know they would stop any attempts a stranger may make that you did not find acceptable."

It seemed almost against her will that a small smile spread across her lips and gratefulness flashed across her eyes. "Thanks, Itachi."

He nodded in response before they fell silent again. Though, the difference this time was the fact that neither of them felt uncomfortable. It was actually comforting in a way, like they were both given the chance to think about what the other had said in the conversation.

But eventually Sakura yawned, breaking them out of the silence. Itachi smirked at her slightly before he stood and offered her his hand. "I think it is time the both of us got to bed. It's late."

Sakura smiled again as she took his hand and followed him down the hall. "I think early would be a better word."

Itachi smirked but didn't say anything as he stopped in front of Sakura's door. She looked at him as she opened the door and gave him one last smile. "Thank you, Itachi."

He nodded once before he turned towards his own door. "Good night, Sakura."

She murmured a quiet bid good night before she disappeared into her room and closed the door behind her. With a small yawn of his own, Itachi entered his own room and laid back down on his bed to get some much needed rest. Tiredly he closed his eyes and waited for sleep.

Only a few minutes had passed before there was a quiet knock on the door. "Itachi," Sakura murmured as she cracked open his door.

Confused, he turned towards the door and propped himself up on an elbow. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

She didn't say anything for a long moment before she eventually sighed. "I know this is asking a lot, but do you think I could sleep here. Just for tonight. I don't want to be…well, alone."

Itachi watched her for a long moment before he moved over slightly and gestured through the darkness for her to come closer. She smiled at him in appreciation before she closed the door and crawled into bed beside him. She turned her back to him and closed her eyes, but a moment later Itachi wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest.

"Thank you, Itachi," she murmured quietly.

Itachi made a small sound in the back of his throat before he eventually turned his face into her hair. "You're welcome. Now, go to sleep. You've been awake long enough."

Sakura giggled lightly before she turned so she could look at him. "So have you."

"Only because of you," was his retort.

She laughed again only to lapse into silence. After a moment, Itachi looked down at her to find she was already asleep. He smiled a small, minuscule smile but it was there. Eventually he relaxed again before he finally fell asleep with her.

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